Silhouette Sunday: Print and Cut Planner Stickers WITHOUT registration mark margins!

This is the story of what started as a "can I pull off this out-there idea?" and turned into a thousand-likes Facebook post to one of the Silhouette groups I'm part of...

I made these awesome stickers just messing around with my Silhouette Pixscan mat and some of Gemma Correll's artwork (you can find her stuff here-- she also sells *actual* stickers) and posted the idea to a Silhouette Facebook group-- then immediately got tons of requests for a tutorial. So, being the "tech teacher" I am, I wanted everyone to get in on this amazingness and made a video!

I'm admittedly more of a video-savvy explainer anyway, so if you want to watch this process, start-to-finish, watch the little YouTube embed below:


If you're looking for a download of the Emoji sticker sheet I'm using in the video, follow this link to the Dropbox zip file. It contains not only the sticker sheet image, but also the "blackout" cut image you can trace in Silhouette Studio to get easy cut lines.

Have fun and keep crafting!

favorite tips and tricks from All Things Silhouette Conference 2016!

Being a professional graphic and web designer, there's not a whole lot I'm unfamiliar with (or afraid of) when it comes to computers. I realize I'm probably in the minority by saying this but I. Love. Technology. However, I didn't love the Silhouette Software as much as I do now.

Last weekend I went to my first ever craft conference and I am BACK and ready to drop some knowledge on you guys! (I also met my Silhouette idol, Melissa from Silhouette School, but whateveritsfinewhocaresAHHHHH!!!!!)

The classes at All Things Silhouette weren't limited to Silhouette Studio, thankfully! There were many sessions (usually about an hour and 15 minutes long) on equipment, graphic design theory, vinyl application, and so much more. I really found myself wishing I was Hermione with her handy time turner.

For the classes I did take, here are my favorite tips I learned (if you don't pick up something new from this post, I will be genuinely surprised):

halloween blood splatter nail art tutorial

I need to come up with a theme for Pinterest trials (and maybe errors, if that ever happens). Any ideas?

Today's post is all about this easy and versatile way to get into the Halloween spirit-- blood splattered nail art! I ended up using my previously made liquid latex cuticle protector to make cleanup easy and it worked like a charm. Except for sticking my finger in the splatter that didn't get on my nails. Typical.

DIY liquid palisade (painter's tape for your NAILS.)

MAYDAY MAYDAY, I believe I have found the dupe of the century!

Okay, maybe it's not a dupe. Maybe I've been under a rock for too long and was too dissuaded by the $25 price tag to even think about dropping that much on a simple thing that my Scotch tape or Elmer's glue could do. But you guys... I feel like I've found the National Treasure of Nail Polish.

It's DIY Liquid Palisade.

Yes, this stuff that normally comes in a little tube with a tiny little brush. I'm sure you've seen it all over Pinterest as a way to save your cuticles from the inevitable mess of polish. The most important ingredient in it? Liquid Latex. (Sidenote: if you are allergic to latex, STAY. AWAY. DO. NOT. TRY THIS.)

"So You Want to Try Nail Stamping..." series (Tools of the trade, how to tutorial and walkthrough, Born Pretty review)

Recently I was approached by Born Pretty Store (I have reviewed them in the past, and in summary: they're a pretty great company out of Singapore that sells really affordable beauty products, despite the long shipping times to the US) to review some nail stamping plates they released quite recently.

If you follow me on instagram (or know me in person) nail stamping is "mah jam." I'm constantly stamping designs over manicures because I find that it's a perfect way to jazz up a color without designing something new over it completely. A little pattern, a little color and whoop...there it is.

So when I was approached, I thought "why not make a comprehensive series on nail stamping, so that other people can do it without being discouraged by trial and error?!" and that's exactly what I did.

The first part of the series is about what you'll need to start nail stamping. In this video, I talk about what I use to stamp and offer some tips and tricks on finding these things.

• Acetone pump
• Acetone (or non-acetone nail polish remover)
• Konad special nail polish (white and/or black)
• Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear nail color 
• Konad scraping tool & rubber stamp
• elf essentials concealer brush
• Cheeky Beauty 2012 plate set
• Bundle Monster CYO collection 
• Cheeky Jumbo Plate 3 - European Romance
• BornPretty plates in BP-17, BP-08, BP-28, BP-01, BP-10*

In the second part I actually show you how I do a stamped manicure, and discuss things I wish I would've known before getting discouraged when I first started stamping.

• Color Club "Reign in Spain" (from Birchbox "The Wanderlust Collection")
• Seche Vite
• Konad special polish in black
• BornPretty stamping plate in BP-17*

Also in the second video, you'll find a review of the Born Pretty stamping plates I recieved. I will do a detailed blog post review of these in the future, after using all the plates and testing for quality, but for now it's safe to say they've really outdone themselves with this set! The plate I used was etched perfectly and transferred to my nail without any problems.

So, for now... brush up (ha! pun definitely intended) on your stamping skills while you eagerly await my verdict on the rest of these plates.

Til next time,


DISCLAIMER: Items marked with an * were provided for review purposes. Despite this, I provide honest opinions and thoughts on products no matter the compensation.

E.l.f. gold snakeskin polish review + GIVEAWAY TIME!

As you all know, e.l.f. is one of my absolute FAVORITE brands of makeup. What you may not know is that they also make really awesome nail polish! After picking up a bottle of this line in Target the other day, I had a revelation. What better way to show my appreciation (and hopefully welcome new readers/viewers) that host a giveaway?!

Here are some photos of the colors you'll be receiving if you win, since they are not available online and don't have names:

 

(to see them bigger, click on them!)

RULES & INFO:

• You MUST be 18 or have your parents permission to provide me your shipping address in the event that you win
• Invalid entries (such as a link to a blog post sharing the giveaway that does not exist) will be scrapped
• Winner will be contacted within 48 hours of the end of the contest and have 24 hours to respond via email provided through Rafflecopter.
• No PO Boxes, sorry!
• Continental United States only, since this is personally funded (and I am in college, after all)
• This contest is not funded by any company. All prizes were purchased and will be shipped by me. 

The entry form is below! Have fun and good luck everyone :)
I look forward to sharing some awesome nail polishes with the lucky winner

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NOTE:  if you complete the "Leave a Blog Post Comment" portion on Rafflecopter and are selected for that entry but there is no comment, I will move onto the next winner :( So make sure you're completing the action that you submit!  

Also, if you are sharing the giveaway via Facebook, be sure to change your post's privacy settings so I can see it! Make it "Public" if it is not already.